Hey there Guys, as a follow on to my previous post about healthy eating I thought it was important to also share this news article about the dubious health claims of smoothies and blended fruit drinks.
Many people have been influenced by advertising positioning smoothies and other blended fruit drinks as a healthy alternative to soft drinks and sodas.
While smoothies usually contain more vitamins, they also contain huge amounts of sugar:
Fruit smoothies, frappes and frozen yoghurt drinks marketed as healthy beverages contain more kilojoules than an actual meal, with some having the equivalent of up to 31 teaspoons of sugar.
An analysis by consumer group Choice of 95 drinks from outlets such as Boost Juice, Donut King, Wendys, Gloria Jean’s and New Zealand Natural has found 81 of them are high in sugar.
“Smoothies might have a healthy image, but some are packed with hidden sugars,” said Choice spokesperson Ingrid Just.
Drinks which contain ingredients such as high-fructose syrup, fruit juice concentrates and artificial flavours and colours are often higher in sugar than actual fresh fruit, she said.
Many of my patients are surprised when they learn that even a “Boost Juice”, a very popular smoothie chain in Australia, is loaded with sugar.
As I always discuss with my patients, if you are keen to get the nutrition of fruit then it’s best to eat the whole fruit. That way you get the fiber and other nutrients that are removed in industrial juicing or smoothie production.
If you are living with diabetes it’s probably best to avoid smoothies completely as the sugar load leads to significant increase in insulin needs.
Best drink for health? Water.
By all means enjoy a smoothy if you are keen. Just be aware that it’s not nearly as healthy as the advertisements convey. Perhaps have them as a “sometimes” food.
Yours in great health.
Dr George
See full story on theage.com.au
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